ARL, DA team up to solve ‘Puppy Doe’ abuse case

Update: The Animal Rescue League announced on Wednesday that it had received $35,000 in donations for law enforcement efforts on behalf of Puppy Doe and other cases of animal cruelty. The reward amount remains at $5,000; however, donations are still being accepted and will go toward preventing future cases of animal abuse.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the prosecution of the perpetrator in the “Puppy Doe” fatal dog torture case.

Puppy Doe was found in Quincy, abused and abandoned. (ARL photo)

“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of support from people all over the U.S., looking to help us identify who inflicted such pain and suffering on Puppy Doe,” said Mary Nee, president of the ARL.

Last week, the ARL, Quincy Police Department, and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey released a public appeal for help identifying who owned and abused “Puppy Doe,” a young adult female dog that was found alive in Quincy late last month.

Puppy Doe was found near the Whitwell Street playground and the campus of Quincy Medical Center. She weighed less than half of what a normal, healthy dog of her size should, and due to the extent of her injuries, she could not be saved by veterinarians.

“The injuries cataloged in the post-mortem examination are grotesque and indicate consistent starvation and abuse over an extended period of time,” said Morrissey. “It is highly unlikely that this level of sadistic cruelty could be shown to one animal and not be part of a pattern involving other animals or perhaps vulnerable people. We need to find the person who did this and see what else they are doing.”

According to Dr. Martha Smith-Blackmore, vice president of animal welfare at the ARL, Puppy Doe was likely 1 to 2 years old. In addition to being starved and beaten on many occasions, causing fractures to the head and body, she appears to have undergone some kind of crude cutting to create a serpent-like split to her tongue. The dog had also been stabbed in the eye in the days prior to being found in Quincy.

“I spoke with Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan and we share a sense of urgency here, as does the Animal Rescue League,” Morrissey said, adding that he has assigned a prosecutor with experience and training in animal cruelty cases to assist in the investigation.

“We do not have reason to believe or disbelieve that the dog was originally from Quincy before being found near the park,” Morrissey said. “We are asking anyone from eastern Massachusetts to contact us if they believe they recognize this dog. It is prudent to proceed as if the perpetrator or perpetrators have moved on and are now aiming this cruelty and violence at another target and needs to be stopped.”

The ARL has received hundreds of phone calls and has received a little over $2,500 in donations to support law enforcement efforts on behalf of Puppy Doe and others like her.

In 2012, the ARL assisted in over 1,500 cases of animal cruelty and neglect across Massachusetts. Any funds donated in excess of the $5,000 reward will go directly toward preventing future cases of animal suffering, cruelty, and neglect.

Anyone with information about Puppy Doe should contact the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Services at 617-226-5610 or cruelty@arlboston.org.

Are you a Citizen subscriber?Click hereto order or renew your subscription.